Increasing pastoralists' capacity to generate income

Moyale Pastoralist Project

Northern Kenya is one of the most remote and disadvantaged regions in the country. In Moyale district, 86% of households are dependent on food aid. Climatic factors including highly variable rainfall patterns and high temperatures make the area prone to drought and livestock diseases, which can spread quickly. Trade is complicated by a lack of credit and poor market and supply chain connections.

The Moyale Pastoralist Project is helping pastoralist communities to reduce their vulnerability to drought, food insecurity and extreme poverty. We're helping communities to find sustainable and robust alternative livelihoods that can complement their existing income-generating activities, so that they are no longer solely reliant on rearing livestock to survive.

How are communities benefiting?

Communities are stabilising and improving their means of earning money.

• We're helping communities to form Local Development Committees and empowering them to find solutions to key problems. For example, committees are improving access to markets for selling their goats, cattle and camels, and the milk they produce.
• Access to the small scale credit that is needed to set up small enterprises trading local commodities such as grain and sugar.
• Groups are receiving help to develop new business opportunities such as beekeeping and advice on how to reach the best markets for their products.
• Improved access to clean, safe water. With our training, community members are learning how to identify water sources and dig and protect shallow wells.

Who are we helping?

This project is helping 5,000 households to set up alternative ways of making a living that complement their traditional livestock-based activities.

Project partners

FARM-Africa is working together with Community Initiative Facilitation and Assistance (CIFA) and the County Council of Moyale.

Increasing pastoralists' capacity to generate income

Moyale Pastoralist Project

In Northern Kenya it is traditional for male family members to travel with their livestock to find pasture. They leave women and children in the village where there is better access to basic education, healthcare and water. But recurrent droughts and disease outbreaks among livestock are reducing livestock numbers, leaving households struggling. The women left at home in the villages are forced to look for new ways to support their familes.

FARM-Africa's Moyale Pastoralist Project is working with women's groups in Moyale district to help them to identify new opportunities. As part of this we are providing funding to set up Local Development Committees (LDCs). These committees provide small grants and training to local women's groups to help get their businesses off the ground.

Saku's story

The Damballa Fachanna Women's Group applied to their LDC for a revolving loan fund. The fund enables their members to set up small businesses such as shops and poultry-keeping.

Saku is one of the members of the women's group. Her husband worked hard doing casual labour, but was unable to earn enough money to buy adequate food for his wife and children, or pay for school equipment or medical bills. Saku and her family could not even afford a permanent house.

As part of the women's group Saku was able to take out a small loan to set up a shop selling local goods such as honey, milk and eggs. Her business training from FARM-Africa helped her turn the shop into the main source of income for her family. Saku and her family can now afford the essentials in life - food, healthcare and education. They have also built a permanent home where there is space for them to keep their goats in a secure pen nearby.

The benefits of the project don't stop with Saku and her family. Saku is supporting her community by selling nutritious local food. In addition, because Saku has now repaid her loan, the group can lend the money to another member who can use the money to build a new business as well.

In her own words

Saku agrees that the project is benefiting lots of people. She says: "I feel I have contributed towards the development of my family and the entire community at large."

Policy and Research

From Grassroots to Government: FARM-Africa’s experiences influencing policy in sub-Saharan Africa
Adobe PDF - 781kb

Working Papers

Scaling-up Success - FARM-Africa's new strategy for development
Adobe PDF - 444kb